Russia

Q1. Use the Porter’s National Diamond Framework to assess the power industry in Russia.
Land, location, natural resources, labour and population are the determinants in the competitive advantage of any industry in a particular country. The Porter’s National Diamond Framework uses a more proactive approach in considering the factors such as: * The firm strategy, structure and rivalry * Demand conditions for products * Related supporting industries * Factor conditions
The Diamond Model demonstrates that countries can become competitive regardless of whether they possess natural factor endowments such as land and natural resources. In the Diamond Model, the role of government is to encourage and push organizations and companies to a more competitive level, thereby increasing performance and ultimately the total combined benefit.

Figure I: Porter’s Diamond Model 1. Factor Conditions
After the breakdown of Soviet Union, Russia was still a closed economy. The power sector was mostly owned by the state. There was no competition and thus the following consequences: * Technological innovation was languished * No increase in efficiency * No investment in the sector * Irrational Consumption * Prices, annual production, assignment of quotas to individual producers and consumers were administered by a national regulator. * Natural Gas was the main component in the production of electricity and its price was regulated. * Due to the above factors, RAO UES (Russian Stock Company Unified Energy Systems) was on the verge of bankruptcy. 2. Demand Conditions * Before the entry of foreign players, Russia was still the world’s largest power market in the world. It had an annual demand rate of 2.5% (some analysts predicted 4.2%). * The RTS index reflected the domination of the Russian stock market by oil and gas companies…...

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Past Questions workbook
How to use this booklet
Your Russia and Cold War teachers will discuss what they want you to do in each Cold War lesson (now that your coursework is finished). This booklet has a page for each examination question that has been asked about our course since the change of course in 2010. For each question there is a section from the guidance given to examiners for marking it, and a section from the examiner’s report on each question.
Each page also contains a section where you can record what you have learned about answering each question.
Tackling past questions is an excellent way of revising. You could be doing several things in any order:
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...Russia and its Rulers 1855-1964
An overview
This overview
The Nature of Russian Government
Ideology
Structures and Institutions
Opposition
The nature of opposition and how it changed
Repression as a way of controlling opposition
Reform as a way of controlling opposition
Social and Economic Change
In the countryside
In the towns and cities
War and Revolution and the development of Government
Government - Ideology
Strong continuity in autocratic Tsarist rule
1832 Fundamental Laws (Nicholas I)
“The emperor of all Russians is an autocratic and unlimited monarch: God himself ordains that all must bow to his supreme power, not only out of fear but also out of conscience”
1906 Fundamental Laws (Nicholas II)
“The All-Russian Emperor possess the supreme autocratic power. Not only fear and conscience but God himself commands obedience to his authority”
Government - Ideology
Subtle changes in the extent to which different Tsars were autocratic.
1861 Emancipation Edit (Alexander II)
Though Alexander II used his autocratic powers to enact the edict, this was only after a long period of discussion and consultation with his nobles, which started in 1856.
1881 “The Reaction” of Alexander III to his father’s assassination.
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Word count: 104
One of the key element to the success of the Bolshevik revolution was Lenin’s orating and leadership skills, personality and his determination to take power. Lenin’s April theses where he spoke of ‘Peace, Bread and Land’ increased the popularity of the Bolshevik as it reached out to the peasants who made up most of the population. The April theses was effective because it highlighted the feelings and aspiration of the workers and soldiers. The Bolsheviks pacifist stance from the very start of the war and Lenins’ promise of ‘peace’ proved a popular idea and this gained them thousands of followers. With inflation causing prices, of the food that was available, to increase Lenin’s offer of food was an immense attraction. Lenin realised the importance of the peasants for support so he promised them land to get their support. The......

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